Ukraine’s president said the Druzhba pipeline, whose operational status remains tied to EU funding for Kyiv, will be fixed later this spring, with repair work under way.
Druzhba oil pipeline is getting repaired and is expected to be fixed "this spring," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Friday, adding that the "responsibility for the supply itself will lie with the Europeans."
"We will complete the repairs because that is the agreement. I told (the EU) we would finish this spring," he explained.
The Druzhba pipeline — which delivers Russian oil to Hungary and Slovakia via Ukraine’s territory — was damaged in a Russian drone strike in western Ukraine in late January, Kyiv said.
Hungary accused Ukraine of intentionally withholding transit and blocked the EU's €90-billion loan in retaliation.
Zelenskyy said that if the issue of oil transit remains tied to EU funding for Kyiv, Ukraine will agree to restore the Druzhba pipeline.
He said many repairs have already been made, but the storage tanks destroyed in the attack cannot be fixed quickly, especially amid constant Russian attacks.
Commenting on his remarks, the European Commission said on Friday that Brussels and Kyiv are "roughly synchronised in terms of the seasons."
The Commission confirmed that it is "following closely the developments," but refrained from commenting further on this matter, reiterating that Brussels had offered Ukraine the opportunity to send its "fact-finding" mission but does not have any updates on this.
Zelenskyy previously admitted that he is "being forced" to repair the controversial Druzhba pipeline that carries Russian oil, suggesting that the European Union should fully enforce its sanctions on Moscow despite pressure from Hungary.
"I am being forced to restart Druzhba", Zelenskyy said in March, adding, "how is that any different from lifting sanctions on the Russians?"
"Do we sell Russian oil, or do we not?”
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán repeatedly claimed that the pipeline is operational and that Zelenskyy has kept it shut for political reasons to influence the upcoming Hungarian elections on 12 April.
Orbán has centred his campaign around the pipeline as a matter of national sovereignty and called Zelenskyy a liar.
With the Hungarian PM’s statements against Ukraine and Zelenskyy, Kyiv has been cautiously silent recently and not making further comments on any Hungary-related issues amid Budapest’s accusation of meddling.
Zelensky stressed at the briefing this week that the elections taking place on Sunday are Hungary's internal matter and not related to Ukraine.
DW News 